glee and friday night lights

if anything represents the cultural divide in this country it is glee and friday night lights. glee is how those on the left wish the american high school experience could be. kids of all races, sexual orientations ,physical challenges and social classes use the arts to overcome adversity and challenge authority. friday night lights on the other hand is what those on the right wish the american high school experience is. a community rallies around a team that focuses on honor, personal responsibility and sacrifice. both shows are, no matter where you stand politically,well written and acted. but if who wins the battle is determined by popularity my money is on glee. friday night lights lasted 5 seasons before ending and glee is about to enter it's 4th season in the fall and seems to be a cultural phenomenon with an incredible amount of promo products and hit albums. maybe it's the singing, but i think the show has taped into what most of america belives..

Social Distortion .. live

Mike ness is the punk rock bruce springsteen. his song writing is as american as apple pie and has never secreased in quality over the years. and neither has the quality of his band when it comes to playing live. this is blue collar punk played razor sharp and tight. in many circles ness is considered a legend, but he should be a household name and this dvd will show you why.

l7 - bricks are heavy

a lot of my fellow 90's music fans remember this album with a nice nostalgia. i've been trying to figure out why.. and i think that despite all the rudeness and anger there was both a healthy mean atittude and positive message both for young aspiring feminists and the generally mad and deinfranchised youth. 90's may have then era of the slacker, but at heart we young folks wanted to make a difference and it was songs like pretend we're dead that helped focus that vision.

eddie vedder live dvd - water on the road

this dvd was recorded before the release of his ukele songs album so a lot of the material is from pearl jam albums as well as the into the wild soundtrack and a few covers. it is nice to see that eddie has matured and changed with times. it was pearl jam continue to be a relevant musical force. live and solo eddie sounds strong yet weary. it was recorded in 2008 so i think at that time we were all tired of the bush years.. war and a strangled economy.. weary though he may have been, he still manages to let the humor shine through. in the end, eddie has aged gracefully.

walking in london

Most people remember Concrete Blonde from their hit Joey, but it was the follow up album, walking in london, that i really enjoyed. heavy bass, country tinges, a leonard coen influence and a penchant for heart on the sleeve delviery made theses songs part of my high school soundtrack. it also didn't hurt that singer/ bass player Johnette Napolitano delved into her interest into the supernatural for lyrical content. in the end, despite the almost hit "Someday", this album failed to match the sales of the Bloodletting album. that just helped me to feel like i was onto something special that other people just didn't get and that was ok with me.